Almanac

Schools - August 14, 2013

Three in Portola Valley school board race, so far

by Renee Batti

Will there be a race this November for seats on the Portola Valley School District board? With the filing period closing on Wednesday, Aug. 14, only three district residents have filed papers to run for the three open board seats, leaving that question wide open for now.

As of late Friday, Aug. 9, one non-incumbent — Timothy McAdam — had filed papers to run for the board, joining appointed incumbents Caitha Ambler and Karen Tate on the ballot.

Because incumbent Bill Youstra is not running for re-election, the filing period for the school board race has been extended to 5 p.m. Aug. 14.

Parent Gulliver LaValle had filed papers earlier and qualified for the ballot, but withdrew from the race late last week. He said he is still interested in serving on the board — perhaps in two years — but decided not to run this year because the timing was wrong for his family situation.

The incumbents seeking a four-year term on the board were appointed last April to replace Scott Parker and Ray Villareal, who had resigned in the previous weeks.

Ms. Ambler is the dean of middle school at the Woodside Priory. She has a child at Ormondale School.

Ms. Tate is a former executive at two software companies and a former strategic consultant. She has one child at Ormondale and another at Corte Madera School.

Mr. McAdam, a technology investor, has one child at Corte Madera and two children at Ormondale. He said he is particularly interested in how technology is used in the classroom — how it's changing both the curriculum and how children learn.